1.1 Overview

Over the current reporting period and based on findings from all 65 MRUs, the CropWatch indicator with the largest variability in departure from average conditions is temperature (as measured by the coefficient of variation of TEMP departures from average for all 65 units), followed by rainfall (RAIN) and radiation (RADPAR). Nevertheless, global temperature was about average (-0.1°C), while rainfall was 18% above average and radiation 2% below.  In general, for the reporting period, no significant correlation exists between the intensity of the agroclimatic variables and their departures from average, although RAIN and TEMP, and TEMP and RADPAR, are positively correlated (R=0.41 and R=0.82, respectively), which results from well-known behavior of climate variables. 

Starting with temperature, the sections below will focus on the description of anomaly patterns (see also figures 1.1 through 1.4).

Figure 1.1. Global map of October 2016 - January 2017 rainfall anomaly (as indicated by the RAIN indicator) by MRU, departure from 15YA (percentage)

Figure 1.2. Global map of October 2016 - January 2017 air temperature anomaly (as indicated by the TEMP indicator) by MRU, departure from

Figure 1.3. Global map of October 2016 - January 2017 PAR anomaly (as indicated by the RADPAR indicator) by MRU, departure from 15YA (percentage)

Figure 1.3. Global map of October 2016 - January 2017 PAR anomaly (as indicated by the RADPAR indicator) by MRU, departure from 15YA (percentage)

Figure 1.4. Global map of October 2016 - January 2017 biomass accumulation (BIOMSS) by MRU, departure from 5YA, (percentage)